Welcome back!
A warm welcome back to all existing and new families. We commence Term 3 with 277 students which includes 4 new students. It has been great catching up with students and talking about their goals for Term 3. I wish all students and staff a successful and rewarding term filled with new learning.
We would like to thank our outgoing Student Voice Representatives for their contributions and congratulate and welcome our new Student Voice Representatives for Semester 2 who will be presented with their badges at our assembly tomorrow. Student voice is not simply about giving students the opportunity to communicate ideas and opinions, it is about students having the power to influence change. By getting to practise using their voice and agency at school they are better prepared to make responsible decisions and speak up for themselves. Student voice increases student’s engagement in learning and creates a positive learning environment and culture.
2023 NAPLAN results
Last week, Years 3 and 5 students would have received their NAPLAN results. NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy) is a national test undertaken by all Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students, designed to provide information about student’s literacy and numeracy achievements and areas for improvement. NAPLAN tests are one aspect of our school’s assessment and reporting processes, they do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about your child’s achievement. Your child’s teacher will have the best insight into your child’s educational progress. NAPLAN results provide additional information, which can be used along with our other assessment and testing.
As a school we analyse NAPLAN data at a whole school, cohort (year level), and individual student level. This enables us to identify trends and to evaluate individual students’ skills in key areas of literacy and numeracy, providing valuable information about their strengths and areas for improvement. Teachers then plan their teaching and learning programs accordingly to support each individual student’s learning through quality teaching practice. This year there have been changes to the NAPLAN reports to include new Proficiency Standard. Your child’s NAPLAN report will show how your child is tracking against four achievement levels known as proficiency levels.
The proficiency levels are:
- Exceeding: the student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
- Strong: the student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.
- Developing: the student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.
- Needs additional support: the student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.
Therefore, “If your child is in the Strong or Exceeding category, it means they have demonstrated proficiency and that their literacy or numeracy skills are where they should be at this stage of their schooling. If your child has not yet achieved proficiency, then they will either be in the Developing category or the Needs additional support category.” (ACARA CEO, David de Carvalho).
When you read your child’s report, please take the time to celebrate the success that you see and/or identify areas for improvement. If your child is concerned with their results, remind them that NAPLAN isn’t a pass or fail test and there are no rewards or penalties for the result your child achieves. Rather, their report is a point in time snapshot of their achievements in the important areas of literacy and numeracy and their results will help their teacher to provide additional support in their learning.
New second flag pole
Late last term we were successful in receiving a grant to install a second flag pole as part of the Saluting Their Services (STS) Commemorative Grants Program. It was installed over the holidays. Have a look the next time you are in the school!
Dress Code policy update
This week the Uniform Committee met to begin reviewing and updating the current Dress Code for students. One change to the policy will be the inclusion of the new navy blue polo that students are now wearing.
In the coming weeks, there will be an opportunity for students, parents and staff to have input. Please keep a look out for details.
National Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD)
Each year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The process requires schools to identify information already available about supports provided to students with disability. Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:
- year of schooling
- category of disability
- level of adjustment provided
This information assists schools to:
- formally recognise the supports provided to students with disability in schools
- consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
- develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.
The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability. The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured.
I thank the teachers for their work in ensuring the information is collected and given to Dan Ryan, who oversees the collection, in a timely manner.
If you would like further information about the NCCD, please head to the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).
2024 class structures
We are well underway in our planning for what our 2024 class structure will look like. It is important if you haven’t done so already, to please inform the school if you child/ren will not be returning in 2024. If you have a child who will be commencing school in 2024, please let us know at your earliest convenience. Student enrolments determine how many classes we will have, curriculum maintenance and other key areas.
Staff Update
We welcome back Mrs Alannah Crook, who has taken on an SSO Curriculum role.
Stay warm!
Kind regards,
David
